Somnium Innocentiae
by Cipher.D
Summary: She had never regretted what she had done. Pride had been Jihl's downfall and it would be her own, but even then she would still follow in her footsteps with her head held high.


**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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Her hand tightened on the small twig in her hand as she drove it into the sand, carving her name onto the shifting substance. Every time she would drag the twig through to leave an imprint, the sand filled in the cracks and buried her name again. Withholding a huff of air in her mouth, her cheeks puffed outwards before she swiftly grew bored of the sand and stood up to face the rolling waves. Carelessly, she tossed the twig into the water but the wind blew it back at her. There was a storm coming. Narrowing her eyes on the approaching dark clouds, she kept that knowledge in the back of her mind and returned her attention to the beach again. Several rocks were peppered over the floor and ever since she could remember, she had always made a game of tossing rocks into the water to see how many times she could make it skip. It was like a competition of sorts, and one of the few games she had played with her dad... when he was still alive. Winding her arm back, she tossed the rock like a whip and watched with a small triumph as it bounced once, twice, and then thrice before it sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Even though she was by herself, she could have fun doing this. Again and again, she threw the rocks into the water; lost in her own game before the sensation of a water droplet falling onto her cheek put a stop to it all. The clouds were close now and the sun had long set. There was a storm brewing, seeing as there were lights flashing behind the darkened sky in the distance. Lightning suddenly flashed across the sky with a loud thundering cry that made her jump at the surprise.

"Claire!" A voice called out to her, prompting her to turn to see that woman again who had been following them around ever since their dad had died. She had told her that she was from some children support services... someone from the city orphanage. "It's dangerous standing there!" The woman yelled at her but the young pinkette only turned back to look at the turbulent ocean again. Just moments ago, as she was carelessly tossing rocks, the ocean had been calm and still, but now she could see how violent the waves were starting to become. All of this just because of a lightning storm. "Claire!" A hand snatched her wrist and forcibly dragged her back towards shelter. The rain had grown heavy, soaking her from top to bottom and her feet stumbled in the sand, sometimes falling down when she was unable to keep up with the woman who had came to take Serah to the orphanage. Lightning streaked across the sky again, lighting the darkness in a brilliant flash of light. The woman jumped at the noise that rippled through the air causing Claire to notice how uneasy it made the adult. Only once they were beneath shelter did the woman stop. Her tight grip on Claire's wrist lessened before she turned and shook off her jacket and wrapped the young girl with it. "Claire! Never do that again!" The woman's hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly as if that would help get her point across, "What if something happened to you? What about Serah?"

Serah. Her hands clenched into fists as she clutched the jacket tighter, seemingly trying to hide herself away in shame. After her mom had died, her dad tried to take care of them, but he's gone too now. Who would take care of Serah then? Puffing up her cheeks, she could only stare at the ground in disappointment at herself. "What are you two doing here?!" An unfamiliar voice called out to them. It was gruff and clearly a man, and a Guardian Corps from the looks. "There's a hurricane coming! I thought there was an announcement-"

"I know. I'm sorry." The woman answered and gave Claire a small little shove from behind, "She disappeared from my watch so I went looking for her."

"Well, let's get you both somewhere safe." The man said, looking between the woman and the dejected little girl. "Hey, chin up." Sneaking in a chubby finger underneath her chin, he tilted Claire's head up playfully and winked at her, "Everything will be alright." Alright? The word resounded in her mind. Following the large soldier until they were back at the orphanage, the moment she walked in, she was bowled over by a smaller version of herself. Serah clutched onto her, crying as if there was no tomorrow with her little fists punching her weakly for being so cruel as to leave her behind. Guilt instantly had her in its clutch and she could only pathetically apologize and hold her sister in a hug. The woman didn't say anything, but the soldier had surprisingly laughed. His booming chuckle reduced Serah to only sniffles as the younger pulled away and looked up at him while rubbing her eyes clean of the tears. "Is she your sister?" Serah nodded and clutched onto Claire's hand tightly as she hid behind her older sister from the large man. "It's dangerous to go to the beach when there's a storm coming." The man said sagely and thumped Claire's head lightly with his fist, "Don't do that again. Promise?"

"P-Promise." Claire mumbled as she looked up uncertainly at the soldier.

"Good. You kids have to look after each other! There's no leaving your sister behind okay?" A pout had unwillingly formed on her lips and Claire glared hard at the ground again. She was expecting a scolding but a hand rested firmly over her head and ruffled her hair gently, "And no crying allowed!" The man said, grinning ear-to-ear.

"I... I wasn't going to cry."

"Good." The man pulled back, chuckling at the youngster's petulance and exchanged helpless looks with the woman from the orphanage, "What's your name Pinky?"

"Pinky?" Claire repeated dumbly before she fiddled with her hair and glanced down at Serah.

"Her name's Clai-" The woman was about to answer before she cut her off with abruptly.

"Lightning." All eyes turned to her but she bravely withstood it all. Clearing her throat, she tightened her hold on Serah's hand and swore never to let it go again. "My name..." There was a short silence and she could see the two adults give her a strange look as if they were judging her for being so childish. She'd be strong though, like the lightning that could throw all of these adults in a panic and stir the ocean up in a fit. Releasing a deep breath, she looked the soldier straight in the eyes and told him with a strong voice, "I am Lightning."

The questioning look in the man's eyes soon disappeared before a smile that reminded her of her own father came to be. Kneeling down so that they were at eye level, he offered his hand in an adult handshake as if he had somehow witnessed how she had came to her resolve and respected her for it. "Nice to meet you Lightning. The name's Amodar." She shook his hand awkwardly as her small delicate hand was completely dwarfed by his large giant-like hand.

"Alright _Lightning_. Let's get you clean and dry." The woman said, emphasizing her new name in a way that made it seem like it was some sort of joke. Lightning didn't budge though, looking at Amodar and his warm smile until he had gave her a small wave of his hand. She didn't know if she should wave back at him as well, considering that he was a soldier, and her dad had always saluted her whenever they played games that involved them pretending to be soldiers. Pushing the woman's hand slightly away, she gave Amodar a perfect salute before it was Serah's turn to pull on her hand. She headed towards the washroom listening to Amodar's laugh until the door closed behind her.

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**Two Years Later**

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Laughter sounded in the hallways and kids bound their way down, playing soldier and terrorist. "Bang!" One of the boys yelled while the other screamed and pretended to die before they bursted into laughter. Rolling her eyes at their antics, Lightning tightened her grip on her books as she strolled down the hallway. "Hey! Hey!" They yelled after her, "It's _Lightning_. She's gonna zap you!"

Whipping around with the speed to do her name justice, the boys only snickered while other bystanders whispered amongst themselves. In just a few months of cadet school, it seems that other kids found her name funny.

But they didn't understand. No one understood.

"Oh yeah? How about you get your butt over here so I can kick it across the hallway!" The pinkette yelled before a hand clamped down on her head imposingly.

Other kids instantly paled as the commanding voice of the Lieutenant spoke clearly and strictly, "No one will be kicking anyone's butt across the hallway. Lightning, I will see you in my office." She could see the snide smirks on the other kids but she grudgingly listened and followed the GC back to his office. Once inside, the pinkette gave him a stiff salute but her glare didn't weaken. "At ease Light." Amodar sighed before he leaned back on his chair and tossed his feet up onto his desk, "Are the other kids picking on you again?"

"It's _Lightning_. Not Light."

"You see? Right there." Amodar said with an exaggerated tone, "It won't hurt you to be a little more friendly."

"I don't care."

"I know you don't care, but why don't you try to make some friends?"

"I... I'm not here to make friends."

Rubbing his face with his hand, Amodar shook his head at the youngster's petulant glare, "You're gonna learn how to kill with that look soon." He jested lightly before the twelve-year-old frowned even deeper and chose to direct her stare at the ground. "Hey, heads up okay? No more lookin' down." The man said before he put his feet back onto the ground and sat seriously at his desk, "Anyways, I called you here to talk to you about your schooling."

"My schooling?" Lightning repeated before she grabbed a seat in one of the chairs facing his desk, "It's only been a few months though."

"Yes... but it seems your instructors are very... impressed." Amodar said while scratching his head with the tip of his pen, "They say you have a natural talent with the blade and gun. It's... incredible actually."

"Oookay..."

"We want to see how you perform during this semester."

"Semester?" Lightning asked, tilting her head slightly at the unknown word.

"Well, until next summer when the new classes start." Amodar explained, keeping in mind that he was talking to a child who had just entered cadet school. "It seems like they think we have a prodigy in our hands!" The man laughed and looked at Lightning proudly.

"Prodigy?"

"A genius."

"Oh..." Shifting in her seat uncomfortably, Lightning fiddled with her fingers. She had been told many times that she was far too mature for her age. "Uhm... Lieutenant, what will happen next summer then?"

"Let's see... military prodigies are... kinda like gems." Amodar hummed, "We treasure them, hoping that they'd serve the people well in the future. You'd kinda be like Nabaat's second coming."

"Nabaat's second coming?"

"Ah, right. I forget how old you are sometimes." Amodar teased, "Like a second Jihl Nabaat but hopefully you're not as... well, I don't want to be offensive, but less _passionate_." He seemed to chuckle at his own use of the word before continuing, "Sometimes, you have to remember you have a life outside of the military as well."

"Jihl Nabaat... you mean the Lieutenant Colonel of the PSICOM?" Lightning asked, recalling the name mentioned in class and whispered amongst classmates as some sort of person they should look up to.

"Yeah, her." Amodar confirmed, "A prodigy in her own right. The lady's only twenty-four and she's near the top already!"

"You think... I can be like her?"

"Well, hopefully not like her... but a prodigy of our own! For the GC! Now they can't constantly brag about her during those joint training programs."

"Then what?"

"Placement in advanced classes? Instead of using those paintball guns and wooden sticks in class, you'll be training with real ones. You're still young though, so I'm not going to have you doing that stuff this quickly. You'll most likely be offered scholarships left and right!"

"Scholarships? You mean money?" Lightning asked, perking at the possibility.

"Money? Yeah, they can give you money."

Hiding a small smile, the young pinkette quickly saluted the lieutenant, "I should head to class. I don't want to be late."

"Late? You better be off then. Oh, and Lightning? If those boys keep giving you grief, tell me and I'll kick their butts across the hallway okay?"

Snuffling a laugh, the young girl shook her head, "You'll be showing fa-vor-it-ism."

"Favoritism?" The man repeated numbly before laughing that laugh which would remind Lightning so much of her father. Closing the door respectfully behind her back, Lightning dashed down the hallway for her afternoon classes. After meeting Amodar two years ago shortly after their dad had died, the GC soldier seemed to have filled in that gap the loss had left. Of course, it wasn't the same, but at least he was there whenever Lightning and Serah needed him. He didn't share that look a lot of adults seem to give her... it made her feel as if she was inadequate.

She would take care of Serah no matter what, it was a vow she had made on that night ago when she became Lightning. There was no looking back now, and she had a goal. "Prodigy..." Lightning repeated to herself before she suddenly dropped to the ground. Placing her textbook on the floor, she pulled out the small computer tablet the school had provided for the students. It didn't take long to find articles and pictures about the famed Lieutenant Jihl Nabaat of the PSICOM. If she could be like her, then she would get a lot of scholarships... then she could have the money to take care of Serah herself rather than having her stay at that orphanage.

Picking up her textbook and tablet, Lightning quickly shuffled off to class and slipped in right before it started. Taking a seat at the front row, she looked one last time at Lieutenant Colonel's face before she smiled to herself.

Lieutenant Colonel Farron - no, Lieutenant Colonel Lightning of the Guardian Corps. She liked how that sounded.

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**I was bored and sick of studying... so I decided to write something random.**

**For readers of Animam Lucem: Haha... sorry, no updates. Probably not until the end of April. Exams! Study, study, study. Return of Lightning(GC)! In this fic, Lightning's only 10 years old in the first half and 12 in the second half. Takes place before Fictus Memoriae.**

**Ah... I figured I'd stick with the Latin names for this story as well. My butchery of the Latin language continues!**


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